Ali Mousavi

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United Kingdom °1977
research interests: architecture, urban space, Soundart, practice-based research
affiliation: urban researcher & art educator Arts, Design & Architecture Aalto University
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Ali Mousavi is an Urban Researcher and Art Educator based in London. He is currently undertaking his PhD research at the Aalto University in Art, Design and Architecture Department, in Helsinki, Finland. His research, “Capital the Vampire of Spaces” focuses on the history of urban form & housing architecture in Middle East in particular Iran. Mousavi’s practice embraces sensorial methodologies such as; sound, smell and cartography to examine city and urban transformation by the forces of global capitalism. His research interests expand into the environmental and ecological issues that confronted our cities all over the globe, in particular sustainable urbanism, biodiversity and alternative/ democratic methods in urban planning and housing architecture. Mousavi has run a number of workshops and lectures on Art & Aesthetic, Social-Engaged Art, Politics of Foods and Everyday Life in London and Tehran. His works have been exhibited in London, Dubai, and Los Angles.

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research expositions

  • Acoustemological Investigation: Sound Diary #Tehran (2022) author(s): Ali Mousavi published in: Journal for Artistic Research
    Acoustemological Investigation: Sound Diary #Tehran is a research-based project that is being developed as part of my ongoing Ph.D. research. This is accomplished by employing sensory methodology as a research tool for observing and analysing architecture and urban design. Art and architecture have always seemed to me to have the potential for social change and the improvement of the existing social order. They can be emancipatory, assisting in self-development, promoting social justice, and even, in small ways, changing the world we live in. As a result, artists and architects engage in activities of innovation and creativity in the hope of articulating their dreams and building a better future for the benefit of their communities. The living environment and places where people spend their time tell a story about who they are and their vision of the future. Art and architecture are social practices that are inextricably linked to the rest of social life. In this regard, this exposition is an attempt to observe, study, and analyse the process of urbanisation in Iran, specifically the housing construction in the Pardis Phase 11 suburbs of Tehran. The interest in the sensory dimension of Pardis Phase 11 serves as the starting point for this artistic practice-led research project. The project employs sensorial methodologies such as acoustemology to investigate the area and urban transformations caused by concepts such as ‘modernisation’, ‘development’, ‘progress’, and ‘globalisation’. The work evolves through a large collection of media content in the form of field recordings made at the Phase 11 site. The project’s goal is to create a discursive sensory environment in order to generate a contemplative and in-depth reflection of a barren land transformed into an urban setting.
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